Oliver A. (Darius, Benjamin, George, John, Johannes), son of Darius and Jerushia Oatman, was born at Adams Center, Jefferson County, New York, in March 1832, and was baptized into the Baptist Church by 1858, where he was a member and deacon during his lifetime. Oliver is recorded as a member in the minutes of the First Regular Baptist Church of Christ in Norwich, Oxford County, Ontario, by 1858, and is similarly listed in 1866 and 1870; in 1874 he was chosen as a delegate to an association meeting held in Springford His picture is located here.
Oliver came to South Norwich in 1833 with his parents. In the 1851 census of the Township: Darius 61, Jerushia 54, Oliver 21, Adeline 17, Luther 16, living in a log house.
On March 24, 1857, he married Margaret Earle, daughter of John and Margaret (Mansfield) Earle. Margaret was born in 1840 and died in 1932. Oliver died 31 December 1903 at his home in Goshen, Ontario. Both are buried in the Tillsonburg Cemetery.
In the south Norwich census of 1861: Oliver, age 28; Margaret, 20; Oscar, 3; Orren, 2, living in a frame house. In a map of Cornell of 1850, on lot 18, the name of Darius Oatman is shown. In a map of Cornell of 1857, the names of Darius Oatman and Oliver Oatman are shown on separate parts of the same lot 18.
In the 1871 census of South Norwich: Oliver38, Margaret 30, Oscar 13, Orren 11, Elmer 7, Bertha 8 mos. Jerushia had died, and Darius was living with Oliver, and at times with Luther.
In September, 1874, Oliver bought part of Lot 6, C 3, NTR, in Middleton Township, Norfolk County. The story was that the Michigan Central Railway was put through his farm, and he did not want to cross the track for his farming operation.
In 1891, Oliver sold lot 6 and bought 200 acres of Lot 5, (pictured here) just west of the Mabee Sideroad. In 1895, he gave the part north of the Goshen Road to his son Orren, and his son Oscar inherited the part south of the Goshen Road.
Children of Oliver A. and Margaret K. (Earle) Oatman):
1390 Oscar Alonzo, b. 11 Mar 1858, near Springford, Oxford Co., ON; d. 16 Feb 1952, Middleton, Norfolk co., ON; m. Lillian Wilson, 18 Apr 1900, Middleton.
1391 Orren D., b. 5 Sep 1859, Oxford Co., ON; bp. at Goshen Baptist Church, in Middleton, Norfolk Co., ON; d. 22 Feb 1923; bur. Tillsonburg Cemetery, Tillsonburg, Oxford Co., ON; m. Isabelle Turnbull, 3 Nov 1885. Isabelle was born in 1861 and died in 1947; she is buried with Orren in the Tillsonburg Cemetery. Orren and Belle raised a nephew of Belle's, Bruce Turnbull; they had no children of their own. They lived on part of Oliver's farm until 1918, when Bruce took over operation of the farm and they moved to Tillsonburg.
1392 Elmer R., b. 3 Jun 1863, Oxford Co., ON; d. 1941; bur. Tillsonburg Cemetery, Tillsonburg, Oxford Co., ON. Unmarried. He lived with his parents and with his brother Oscar and his family.
1393 Bertha Lewella, b. 3 Aug 1870, Oxford Co., ON; d. 1958; bur. in Tillsonburg Cem., Tillsonburg, Oxford Co., ON; m. Fred W. Maybee in 1891, he b. 1868, d. 1929. Children, surname Maybee:
AVarol, b. 1893; m. Bruce French. No children.
BMarie, b. 1899; m. 1) Jack Climie; 2) Victor Tillson, 1975. She had no children but raised two Climie children: Richard and Roy.
OBITUARY OF OLIVER OATMAN:
The death of Oliver Oatman, of Goshen, one of our best known citizens, occurred at the family residence on Thursday, Dec. 31st, after an illness of several months. Mr. Oatman was born in Jefferson County, York State, and came to Canada with his parents in his infancy, being only one year old. His parents, who were of German and English extraction, settled in Norwich Township about seventy years ago, Mr. Oatman remained with his parents till married, and then settled on a farm near Springford. Twenty-eight years ago he removed to Middletown township (Goshen) where he has since resided. He was married nearly forty-seven years ago, at the age of 24, to Margaret Earls, who with four children still survive him, Oscar and Elmer residing in the family residence, Orin, a farmer, living near by, and Mrs. Fred. Mabee, who also resides a short distance from the homestead. Mr. Oatman was one of the ten children of the late Darius Oatman, three of whom survive him -- Mrs. C. Moore and Luther, of Springford, and Darius of Tillsonburg. His father has been dead about 28 years. Mr. Oatman has been nearly a life-long Baptist, having been baptised 42 years ago by the late Elder Robert Smith, near Springford. He has also been a deacon of Goshen church for 26 years, and was always willing and ready to forward the work of christianity. His greatest desire was to see others brought to a saving knowledge of the truth. He remained steadfast and faithful to the ennd [sic], waiting patiently for the Lord to take him home, his last words being, "O Lord, take me home." In his younger days he was a great lumberman, very few being able to compete with him handling logs. He was also a great lover of good horses and he has owned some very wild and handsome beasts in his day. In politics he was a life-long Liberal. When he first started for himself he was poor but industrious: he was honest and frugal. He possessed great love of knowledge and improved every opportunity to educate himself. He was thoughtful, ingenious, enterprising; his morals were correct, prosperity seemed to follow him in every undertaking. [His] love of work was a prominent trait of his character, and his character and success are well worthy of study by the young men of our day. When a young man of nineteen years he had his leg broken in three places by the falling of a building. His health though, generally speaking, was good, till twelve years ago when he had a serious attack of typhoid fever, which has since terminated into heart trouble. He was confined to the house ten weeks and to his bed for a month, most of the time bearing excrutiating pain with great fortitude. His death came on Dec. 31, '03, and his funeral took place the following Sunday and was very largely attended, interment being made in the Goshen cemetery. The services were conducted by Rev. J. W. Silcox. Text -- "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day."--2nd Tim. 4:8. No sermon could have been delivered more appropriate than the one presented by Mr. Silcox, whom Mr. Oatman held in very high esteem. The pall bearers were Messrs A. Jeffery, W. Girvin, R. Shepherd, J. McDonald, R. White and J. Dean. The floral offerings were such as would have touched the heart of the departed could they have come under his view. The delicately flowered wreath of the bereft wife and the very expressive "Gates Ajar" from the children most suitably suggested the ties of love and well judged worth for which the life of our evermore absent friend stood. The family have the sympathy of the entire community in their bereavement.
Sources:
Family records; Doris Oatman, Tillsonburg, ON
Vital records of Oxford Co., ON; Cemetery records, Tillsonburg, ON
1861 (S. Norwich Twp.), 1871 (Cornell) census, Oxford Co., ON
Records of First Regular Baptist Church of Christ, Norwich, ON
Tillsonburg Liberal, 7 Jan 1908 (obituary of Oliver Oatman)
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